It would be hard to invent better names for a teen metal outfit: There's Morgan, the sweetly sinister vocalist who was named for a dark priestess of Arthurian legend; her sister, drummer Mercedes, whose moniker was derived from a river in Germany; the gap-toothed guitarist Fallon, whose parents were inspired by the Eighties TV series Dynasty; and their sturdy bass player, Talena, who says she was named for a fictional princess whom "my dad read about in one of those warrior-dude books."

That's Kittie, a fierce, mostly underage foursome from London, Ontario, that has clawed its way into the hearts of equal-opportunity headbangers everywhere and secured a coveted spot on this summer's Ozzfest. Kittie's acidic single, "Brackish," from their debut, Spit, is the kind of balls-out metal rant that makes the kids sit up and take notice -- or run for cover.

"Madison, Wisconsin, was the rowdiest show we ever played," says Morgan, whose spiky new cut makes her look like a sexy Eddie Munster. "It was really, really violent. The lighting rig was coming down, and there were no barricades. People were rolling onto the stage and jumping back into the crowd. It was 100 percent chaos. It was excellent."

The Kittie story is pure high school headbanging: Fallon Bowman and Mercedes Lander discovered a shared affinity for grunge in gymnastics class and gathered at the Lander residence to put their instruments through the paces. Big sister Morgan came downstairs and grabbed the mike, and Kittie were born. The first get-togethers featured Silverchair covers and an attempt at Nirvana, but before long the girls found their own diabolical sound and started playing local battles-of-the-bands. They cut a demo and caught a break. "The guy who owned the recording studio went to sound-engineering school with [producer of Rage Against the Machine's first album] GGGarth, like, twenty years ago," Morgan says. "He decided to pass the demo on and see if he'd do a favor for an old friend."

For such youngsters -- Morgan, at eighteen, is Kittie's elder spokeswoman -- they've already passed many rock-star milestones. There are the overenthusiastic fans ("We wear all the bracelets that they throw onstage," Morgan says as her band mates show off an impressive collection). And, of course, there are the tantrums: At present, Fallon is belching ("My burps smell like peanuts," she announces), Mercedes is threatening to "pee all over the floor" and Talena is staring off into space. All this while Morgan is defending her right to rock: "One guy asked me if I thought it was a trend to be a girl in music. I said, 'I don't think my vagina is a trend. There's been females all through history, and without them there would be no human race, so see ya later, buddy.'"

Even if her feminist politics are a little, well, underdeveloped, Morgan and the rest of Kittie are not ones to tangle with. Their aggressive metal surges, blunt song titles -- "Suck," "Spit," "Do You Think I'm a Whore" -- and Morgan's guttural growl make them every bit as potent as the bands they've opened for. And that includes Biohazard, System of a Down and Slipknot. Just don't ask them why they're so angry. "Of course we have a lot of aggression," Morgan says defensively. "It's an aggressive style of music, and it's an easier way to get your point across." Sister Mercedes is more direct: "What do you want us to be doing? Playing, like, death metal but singing about flowers or something?"

MARK HEALY
(May 13, 2000)